Nespresso
Location: New York, NY
Use Case: Enterprise Cafe
Client: NMBL
Design Style: Contemporary Modern
Scroll to images
Split Flap Specs
Size: 21 ROWS x 40 COLUMNS Display
Dimensions: 10.6 ft by 9.7 ft
Finish: Classic Black Sheet Metal Casing
Font and Text Style: Custom Font with 20 Custom Color Flaps
Installed: 2025
Project Overview
Nespresso’s flagship cafe in NYC’s Flatiron district is a masterclass in experiential sensory design built to engage all five senses. Featuring multiple cafe bars, records on vinyl, a speakeasy, and even coffee smelling stations, their newest boutique is a warm and inviting third space purpose-built for lovers of coffee and cozy vibes alike. While the cafe is meant to be explored and guests can find experiences and free coffee throughout the large space, an impressive Split Flap display welcomes guests in and immediately sets the tone.
It softly clacks as it rotates through friendly messages and colorful artwork, inviting guests to sit and stay a while. Though there’s no shortage of things to experience while visiting the store, Split Flap embodies the spirit of the cafe setting, reminding patrons that sitting back and relaxing, getting some work done, or catching up with a friend are the real reasons we love to sit and sip in warm, inviting spaces. Without providing a distraction, Split Flap’s rotating imagery and messaging taps the psychology of change detection to gently provide patrons with a unique sense of space that elevates Nespresso Flatiron above the benchmark of typical cafe environments.
Much like the unique design of Nespresso Flatiron itself, Split Flap perfectly captures the spirit of passive relaxation and active exploration. With flaps custom printed with both letters and colors spelling out messages and depicting cozy cafe imagery, Split Flap shimmers with a mesmerizing kinetic performance. It immediately communicates to guests that they’re entering a whimsical, immersive space. Once seated with coffee in hand, the sign’s gentle sonic qualities provide a soothing backing track that promotes relaxation and focus not unlike white noise or gentle rainfall. It’s this dual utility that makes Split Flap a key piece of cafe signage: it welcomes, engages, and immerses just as easily as it soothes, relaxes, and provides atmosphere for the iconic Nespresso setting.
Integrations and Extras
Nespresso’s custom Split Flap includes custom color flaps, making it possible to appear vibrant visuals such as the Nespresso logo and pixel-style illustrations.
Press and Media
When Nespresso opened its flagship cafe in NYC’s iconic Flatiron district, it was met with praise in cafe-centric publications like Global Coffee Report, The Tea & Coffee Trade Journal , and Daily Coffee News from Roast magazine. But the news quickly spread to New York’s bustling arts & culture scene. Coverage from Time Out New York, Business Insider, and The Manual all noted that the new boutique serves as an excellent hangout spot that invites guests to sit and sip for a while. Influencers took note as well, including popular guides to NYC like @here.be.barr, @nyc_forfree, and @adventurous_anders who all featured Nespresso’s Split Flap in action in their reviews of the new boutique.
Current Use
Nespresso’s kinetic cafe signage centerpiece communicates directly with guests while also illustrating patterns, designs, and imagery relevant to the store’s NYC location. Oat Foundry’s solution bespoke Split Flap includes panels with both text and solid blocks of color. The combination grants the display unparalleled customization options with designs featuring both words and images. With these custom flaps, the transformations between designs becomes a dazzling ripple of letters and colors rotating into place.
FAQS
How can change detection, such as rotating text, impact a cafe space?
Change Detection is the simple notion that people tend to notice when things change in their surroundings, but it can be applied as a powerful tool when designing elevated cafe spaces. Split Flap engages both visual and aural senses while switching between designs, providing two points of entry for guests to observe the change. Its gentle, soothing sound makes the change unobstructive, creating a pleasant, memorable low-fi atmosphere for any cafe.
Can Split Flap displays show different messages?
Yes, Split Flap display messages and designs are updated with Portal, our web-based app.Access is free (no subscriptions) and included with every Split Flap purchase. Modeled with popular, easy to navigate software like Google Calendar and PowerPoint in mind, Split Flap is easily controlled so that owners can quickly update the content and scheduling of their Split Flap display signage.
What do Split Flap displays sound like?
The custom Split Flap sign *sounds like* the classic mechanical flip boards you’d find in train stations. The cumulative effect as dozens of these panels move with coordinated motion is often compared to white noise or light rainfall. The speed of rotation can be slowed down to produce a gentler sound, or sped up to increase its intensity.
